Northwest Lawmakers Debating How To React To Health Care Ruling

The Supreme Court’s decision on the health care law threw many members of Congress for a loop. Many northwest lawmakers were surprised that the Supreme Court upheld the law’s individual mandate and put limits on the government’s attempt to expand Medicaid. Matt Laslo reports from the nation’s capital.

Besides upholding the law’s individual mandate, the justices ruled states can reject Congress’ effort to expand Medicaid coverage. Under the original law the government planned to expand Medicaid by nearly nine hundred thousand people in the Northwest. Now Idaho Republican Senator James Risch says he’s recommending his state reject the extra federal cash.

Risch: “It would cost huge amounts of money, huge amounts of money. I would suspect the triumph of this bill covering another 20-30 million people will be greatly downgraded.”

Over in the House, Republicans are already planning their thirty first attempt to repeal the law. Washington State Democratic Congressman Rick Larsen says Republicans are just wasting time.

Larsen: “A vote to repeal is yet another political act that there is nothing to create jobs in this country we still need to be focused on creating jobs now that the Supreme Court has spoken.”

The House will vote to repeal the health law when they return from their Fourth of July recess.